4 Dead In Shooting At Northern California Elementary School

At least four people are dead and several injured after a shooting early Tuesday morning at an elementary school in Northern California, local authorities report.

Officers are investigating multiple sites around Rancho Tehama Elementary School near Corning, California, after the shooting spree. Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston of the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the deaths and injuries, saying that children had been shot and that the suspect was dead.

“I am told at this point, the suspected shooter is deceased by law enforcement bullets,” Johnston told Action News Now.

Johnston said he does not currently have information about the victims at the school, but that a number of students have been medevaced.

A semi-automatic rifle and two handguns were found on scene, the The Associated Press reports. Johnston told the AP that the shooter’s motive remains unclear, but that neighbors had reported that the suspect was involved in a domestic violence incident.

“It was very clear at the onset that we had an individual that was randomly picking targets,” Johnston told the AP.

Due to the number of locations the shooter targeted, authorities are still unsure of the full victim count. At least two children were wounded, the AP reports. One was hurt during the incident at the school and another was shot while driving.

Coy Ferreira was dropping his daughter off to her kindergarten class when the shooting began, and ran into a classroom. Ferreira told KRCR-TV the gunshots were going “for a good 20-25 minutes” and that a young boy in his classroom was shot in the foot and chest.

“He’s a really strong kid,” Ferreira told the station. “I didn’t know he was shot for a good 30 minutes until I got up to walk to the office in the classroom and I saw he had bloody clothes. He started crying and I informed the teacher that he was shot.”

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) released a statement on Tuesday addressing the incident, saying he and his wife, Anne, were “saddened to hear about today’s violence in Tehama County, which shockingly involved schoolchildren.”

“We offer our condolences to the families who lost loved ones and unite with all Californians in grief,” he added.

Vice President Mike Pence tweeted a similar message on Tuesday afternoon, saying he was “deeply saddened” to hear of the incident and the loss of life, “including innocent children.”

“We commend the effort of courageous law enforcement,” Pence wrote. “We’ll continue to monitor the situation & provide federal support, as we pray for comfort & healing for all impacted.”

The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story indicated Pence tweeted in response to the shooting on Thursday.